Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-12
QUEENS OF COMIC OPERA
Gossip Concerning Lillian Russell,
Pauline Hall, Isabella Urqukart
and Lille Grub.
The Market for Comic Opera Comedians
New Operas and Talks About
Managers
Correspondence of the Gazette.


queens Of comic opera, new plans and
new productions having brought forward
some new figures, or the promise of
them, and having started dutterlng in
consequence among the reignipg favor
ties. The market Of comic opera come
dams has also received a good deal OF at
tention. j. G. Duff, who has been at
ficted with j. II. Ryley for some time has
been attempting to buy a really funny
man for several months past, and bid so
vivaciOusly for one that he brought on a
regular bull market. The quotations
for comedians began to climb like the
mercury on hot dsy. Mr.. Duff
made g particularly big bid for DeWolf
Hopper, the chief attraction of McCauIrs
company, and he ne9rly got him, because
AICCaull and Hopper played scene out
of an unpublished meIodrama called
"You're Another" the other dsv, and
they did it at rehearsal before ali the
company. But matters are now, it is
understood, patched up. But TO 20
back to the queens, IT is reported that
Lillian Russell and Duff have parted
company, and the eX-wife of John j.
Braham and Teddy Solomon, musical
conductors and composers, will again be
open for an engagement. What the
trouble is between the manager and
prime donna cannot be learned with
! accuracy. Their relations were certainly
very pleasant last season and it was even
alleged that marriage was con-
templeted But now the sky is
overcast and Mrs Br6ham Solo
mon speaks OF Mr.. Duff and his operate
schemes, when she speaks Of them at all,
vrrifb I..o 1.-f
Mr.. Duff is now in London, and he has
secured for the opening of his season at
the Standard Theatre the Gaisty Theatre
burlesque known as Monte Cristo, Jr.
Mr.. Duff certainly needs a comedian to
do the part of this which was done so
successfully by Frederick Leslie in Lon
don, and the gone-by Queen Of the Dudes
should hold her tongue and remember
that Nellie Farren'5 pert In the burlesque
is also open. But If she leaves Duff
where would she go anyway? The Ca
sinO and McCaull have the only two large
comic opera organizations outside of
Duff, and neither of these managements
want her.
Pauline Hall, the splendidiy robed and
a5Unantly trained goddess of dudedOm
now st the Casino, Will abdiCate the
throne for time when Ermlnie is with
drawn, ana in the next opera three candi- |
oates will contend for the vacant place. |
These are Isabelle UrquhGrt, Lille Gfubb |
and Bertha RiCci. RiCCi is we'll known |
from her long connection with McCaull's |
companies. Miss Urquhart is a tall ana |
handsome girl, who was never seen in |
comic opera until her recent appearance |
in Erminie. She has large eyes, strong |
features, and was at one time member Of |
Mr.. Days company. Later on, if am not |
mistaken, she figured in the production |
in New York, in IXion or the Adamless ;
Eden. 1t was burlesque anyway She is I
about twenty-five and has become g great |
favOrlte with the regulation young man
about town. Lille Grub is q graduate
from the variety stage. She played the
Sculptures in Adonis Henry Dixey's
long career at the Bijou opera house.
She went TO London with him and made
success there. She recently played
Bettina in the Mascot with Nat Goodwin
and made distinct hit. She looks very
pretty in some parts and her likeness may
be seen in several cigarette advertise
ments in consequence.
Comic opera matters generally are go
ing to be very interesting next season,
both in New York and all the large cities
There will be number Of new works
produced, including, of course, the new
opera on which Gilbert and Sullivan are
laboring and which will replace Ruddy- I
gore in London, that opera having scored
nearly as complete failure at Mr. Z
D'Oyly Carte's Savoy TheRter as it did
on this side OF the Atlantic. 1t is expect
ed that this new work will be finished
early in the fell, and it will DE produced !
in New York and London simultaneously.
Gilbert and Sullivan will not delay the {
completion of the opera as they did in
the case of RuddygOre. Ruddygore re-
placed the MiKado in London which had
itsjsuCCess. Ruddygore's sue
Cessor will replace an opera which has
long OutwOrn the trifing fsYOT with
which it was received at first, aud Mr.. /
Carte is anxious to retire it.
Outside Of this English novelty, there
will be other new productions. Erminie,
which is well on lis second year, Will DE
from the Casino stage and
sent to other cities in September, with
Francis Wilson, the comedian, and the
home theater will be supplied with new
The Casinos S475 week
Francis Wilson, whose legs Z
have the reputation Of being the funniest I
legs in New York, will be an SrtstiCally :
mixed business and literary partner in
some of these new Casino attractions | S
One of them is called Oolah, and is an S
mainly from an old opera of
LeCoCq's called La Jolie Persane The
chief part of the work has been done by I
Sydney Rosenfeld, but Mr.. Wilson has I
adorned it with two or three original gags, 1
diversified it with some novel stage bus c
ness and says that he expects it to dupli- :
cate the success of Erminie. Oolah will q
De done at the Casino after Mr.. Wilson'S r
-eturn from his tour in January, 1888. q
Between the withdrawal Of Erminie in
September and the time named, the
Casinos new comedian James Powers,
he Tin Soldier veteran in company with 4,
Lille Grubb, Isabelle Urquhert and :
Bertha Ricci, will recommend to popular
avor, a version Of Lacome's opera y
,omique, known in Paris as Jeanne, |
Jeanette and Jeannettone. The Eng I
ISL adaptation will be called either the
Marquis, or Mae, Marie and Marianne, +
md this work, in the event of its success, [
will take up the story of Erminie's tour r
Ind carry the Casino banner TO the utter
most ends of the country.
Then Mr.. or, more popularity, Colonel q
dcCaull, will have new opera and mira
les Of miracles, this will be the work of
2osenfeld. After fighting this adventur- I
So Al n 81